A New Year with Chocolate
by On-A-Rainy-Day
Summary: Sirius knows Remus didn't get what he wanted for Christmas. Now he wants to know what Remus wanted, and all Remus wants is to keep it a secret. RemusSirius slash, Rated for mild snoggage. Tis fluffy and or cheesy. Please R&R!


A/N: This story contains slash. If you don't like it and don't wish to open your mind to something new, please click the back button. Everyone else, have a nice read!

And, alas, I must admit that the only thing I own is one particular passageway, which I will probably be visiting quite often in my dreams. Everything else is JK's and other very, very lucky peoples'.

The dungeons were eerily lit by very few torches. By all appearances, the corridors were empty, save one potions master. But four Gryffindors knew better and were trying very hard not to panic. Professor Levoten walked down one particularly narrow corridor. The Marauders were forced to back away, praying for the hall to widen, curve—something.

They got something.

Unbeknownst to the Marauders, a foot appeared. Levoten was the first of the five to notice, and, without a word, he quickened his pace. Remus noticed his speed and tried to hurry the others. But Remus was behind Peter, and his speed only served to topple himself over, into Sirius and…

into a suit of armor.

The corridor was suddenly full of movement. Peter, still under the cloaks cover, transformed with a squeak and ran down the corridor, away from trouble as fast as he possibly could. Remus, who had fallen out of the cloak's protection and taken Sirius with him, quickly pulled out his wand and performed two quick disillusionment charms. James, the only one still covered by the cloak, ran down the hall to lead Levoten away from the others with the sound of his footsteps, then pressed himself as close to the wall as humanly possible.

Levoten fell for James' bait and ran down the hall. The remaining Marauders took their chance to escape.

James was almost out of the dungeons when he heard Levoten's voice.

"I want you to double the patrol at night. It's break—you'll have to sleep during the day. If anyone gets past—."

When the portrait swung open, three faces looked but saw no one. Indents in the deep red carpet traveled through the room. Halfway up the stairs to the boys dorms, James appeared. Sirius, Remus, and Peter followed.

Sirius and Remus each flopped onto their own beds, the two in the middle of the room. Peter perched himself at the bottom of Remus' bed. James went to his trunk, grabbed a bag of sweets and sat resignedly at the bottom of Sirius' bed. Sirius stole the bag and dumped the sweets on the bed. As James' shoulders slumped and his head fell into his hands, Sirius savagely bit the head off a chocolate frog. Remus lay on his back, his arms folded over his face. His voice came out muffled.

"There goes our prank."

James looked up.

"There's no way we'll be able to get in now. I heard Levoten doubling night patrols as I left."

"But…but don't we have the cloak?" Peter asked confusedly.

Remus uncovered his face and his head came up from his pillow. The three boys stared at Peter. James grabbed a chocolate and chucked it at Peter. It bounced off his forehead. The Marauders blinked at eachother until Remus spoke up.

"Were you or were you not just in the hallway with us?"

Sirius shook his head.

"Unless we try to use the passage--"

"But it caved in last month--"

"So we'll have to…"

Remus zoned out. The incident in the corridor may have ruined their prank, but he didn't mind much. He hadn't been very enthusiastic about the prank in the first place. It was planned for New Years morning. He'd read once that what you do on New Years Day sets a pattern for the rest of the year and had rather liked the idea. While he wouldn't mind spending the year with his best friends, he had to wonder whether he'd want to hurt people for the rest of the year.

Thought this was one of the reasons the incident hadn't bothered him, it was the more innocent one.

A blush crept over Remus' face as he remembered the jolt of guilty pleasure he'd felt falling into Sirius. He glanced at Sirius. His friend's eyes, though showing disappointment, still sparkled. His mouth turned up at the corners, making him seem perpetually happy, and lean muscles were visible through his tight t-shirt. Sirius glanced at Remus and Remus' stomach jumped pleasantly. He folded his arms over his face again to hide a second blush.

Yes, there were many things he'd rather do for the next year.

He tuned back in to his friends' conversation.

"So there goes our prank." James flopped backwards onto the bed. Sirius rolled off his bed and landed on the floor with a thud.

"The floor."

The muffled voice of Sirius called, "Yes, I landed on the floor."

Remus propped himself up on his elbows.

"No. The floor of the passageway, just before the cave-in?"

Sirius' eyes appeared over the edge of the bed.

"The floor there is the ceiling of the Slytherin common room. If we strengthen the spell, it should still work."

James sat up.

"Moony, my friend, you are a genius."

* * *

The next day found Remus in the library. The large room was very empty; the new term wouldn't start for over a week. But Moony had to redefine the strength and area of the spell for the prank, so there he was.

He had a tiny book in front of him and was squinting at the faded words then rewriting the spell on a piece of parchment. The huge wooden doors opened, but Remus hardly noticed until someone sat at his side. He glanced up.

"Hey Padfoot."

"Hey." His voice was soft and made Remus look up again. Sirius balanced his on the two back legs. His face and demeanor were, as always, playful, but his eyes were serious. They moved searching Remus' face.

Remus waited, but when his friend said nothing, he returned to his work. As Remus finished, he could feel Sirius' eyes still on him. He finally closed the book and turned to his friend.

"Did you need something, Sirius?"

"Well…not particularly."

Remus' expression grew confused. If he wasn't waiting for something, why was he there? It wasn't like Sirius to stay still—quietly—for long periods of time. But then Sirius grinned and Remus was forced to notice how his eyes sparkled and how his fringe was just long enough to be completely sexy without hiding his sexy-sparkly eyes.

"Er...ok."

With that remark, which demonstrated why exactly he was at the top of his class, Remus pushed back his chair. He tucked the parchment into his pocket, smiled crookedly at Sirius, and returned the book to its place on a nearby shelf.

As Sirius' steps joined his own, Remus shoved his hands into his pockets. He looked at Sirius.

"There has to be a reason you sat so still for so long."

"I did have a question."

Remus panicked. He'd been found out, he was sure.

"Yeah?"

"What was it you wanted for Christmas?"

Remus sighed out of relief and dread. He had refused to tell Sirius what he'd wanted for Christmas. Judging by Sirius' track record with most the girls in Hogwarts, there had been slim chance he would have gotten what he'd wished for—namely, Sirius under the mistletoe. So he'd gone for silence over blatant disgust on Sirius' part and embarrassment on his own.

"I got just what I wanted. Buckets full of chocolate."

Sirius shook his head and smiled. He shoved his shoulder into Remus' playfully as they made their way to Gryffindor tower.

"If that was what you wanted you would've told me ages ago."

They continued waking, Remus refusing to answer and Sirius trying to uncover his friend's secret.

"If I ask questions, will you answer?"

Remus smiled.

"Isn't that a question?"

"Mooooooon-_yyyyy_!"

Remus thought about it. Maybe this was the way to let Sirius know. If he answered evasively enough, Sirius may never figure it out. But maybe it was time for him to know? Remus _had _been blushing at every instance of eye-contact for the past few years.

"Yeah, I'll answer."

Sirius jumped in front of Remus, walking backwards so he could watch his face. Remus grinned and looked down at his feet.

"First question. Where can it be bought?"

"Oh, my dear Padfoot. It need not be bought but is willingly given." He added, "In most cases."

Remus smiled to himself. That was evasive enough—and true enough.

"Then where can it be found?"

"In Hogwarts." He looked heavenwards. "In the skies."

Whoops. Maybe that was too specific. But Sirius still looked confused. He'd better go back to vague answers just in case.

"Would it be easy to get you hands on?"

Remus chuckled and blushed.

"Yes, very easy."

"Ah, a blush. What could that mean?"

"Can I refuse to answer?"

Sirius turned and walked by Remus' side.

"Is it…edible?"

"Um…well...I…" Remus felt his face go very, very red.

"Ha-ha!"

Remus inhaled sharply. Surely he hadn't figured it out so soon?

"I was right! You didn't want chocolate!"

Was that all he'd figured out? At this rate, he'd probably figure out the mystery gift after he'd gone and gotten married. And everyone knew that wasn't going to happen soon.

"Well, I wouldn't mind so much if chocolate was part of it."

"All right. So it doesn't need to be bought but can be found in Hogwarts or," he looked up quizzically, "the skies. It's easy to get your hand on. It may or may not be edible or include chocolate."

Remus smiled crookedly.

"That sounds about right."

They reached the Fat Lady and gave the password. As he climbed in after Remus, Sirius muttered, "Moony, I just can't figure you out."

Remus tried to decide if that was good or bad.

* * *

The preparation for the prank continued for the next few days. James and Sirius used their quick wit for the prank, and taunted Slytherins at every opportunity, earning the Marauders a fair few detentions. Peter fed their egos, throwing James and Sirius compliments constantly. Remus just went along for the ride.

Sirius asked more questions at random times. When they were polishing trophies in detention, Remus looked up at Sirius and was startled to see his friend staring back.

"What letter does it start with?"

Remus looked down at the trophy he was cleaning. Last year's quidditch cup. He ran his hand over Sirius' name and tried to think of an answer that wasn't completely obvious. It was hard, trying to think in riddles, while Sirius' shoulder was rubbing against his own and his stomach was dancing.

"When I say it, it starts with a 'y'. When you say it, it starts with an 'm'."

Sirius turned away, mumbling to himself, "Starts with an 'm'…"

Remus shook his head, but continued working. He felt someone's gaze, and turned to see both James and Sirius whispering and looking at him like two first year girls.

"Hey! You're not allowed to get help!"

Sirius looked down guiltily and shuffled away from James. Remus' stomach dropped. He should've figured He'd go to James. The answer may have escaped Sirius, but James was brighter, He was getting it already; Remus could tell by looking at him.

Remus tried to continue working, but it was hard to concentrate. When the detention finally ended, Remus walked behind the others. He watched Sirius and James joking with eachother and wished he still had that easy kind of relationship with Sirius. James looked over his shoulder and saw Remus lagging behind. He slowed down, allowing Remus to catch up.

"If I say it," he inquired quietly, "does it start with an 's'?"

Remus sighed.

"Maybe."

"Ah, I thought so." He smiled. "How long do you think it'll take him?"

"I—I uh." Remus couldn't answer. How could James be so relaxed about this? "You—you don't care?" Remus finally choked out, looking at James.

"You're still Remus, right?" James grinned and shrugged. "That's good enough for me."

Remus smiled back. They watched as Sirius tripped Peter, who's hands then sunk into a disappearing step. Sirius burst into laughter, waking several nearby portraits.

"And clearly he's still Padfoot. I'd say you have a few months, at least, until he figures you out."

* * *

"How is it I got stuck being the one to actually perform the spell?"

"Moony, with all the changes you had to make, you're the only one who _can _do the spell," James responded, puling on a shirt and flopping into his bed.

As the other three Marauders prepared for bed, Remus was getting ready to go prank the Slytherins.

They had, of course, been partying for hours. It was New Year's Eve and the were, in fact , the Marauders. But, as there was pranking to be done, they had retired to their dorm at the early hour of four o'clock in the morning. Remus would probably get no sleep while the others got a full two hours before going to breakfast to view the results of their plotting.

Sirius came out of the bathroom in only a pair of boxers. He walked up to Remus, stopping only when their faces were inches apart. He cupped Remus' face with one of his hands. Remus felt his eyes go wide.

"Does widdle Remykins not want to cross the big, dark castle all by himself?" He stuck out his lower lip in a ridiculous pout, but then grinned. "I'll come! Let's do this thing!"

Sirius quickly put on a shirt. Remus grabbed the cloak and the map, and they were off.

Just outside the dorm room, Remus looked Sirius in the eye. After briefly thinking about grabbing Sirius and snogging him, Remus just threw the cloak over both their heads.

They walked down the steps together. When Sirius' hands found his way to Remus' waist, Remus swallowed. Hard.

They made their way through the common room, which was full of snogging couples. Remus felt the blood rise to his face, but made a mental note to tell James Lily wasn't one of them.

In the cold corridor outside, Sirius' warm body only moved closer, sending a chill up Remus' spine. Sirius' actions were platonic, he was sure. Sirius had no idea how much he was torturing him.

They finally reached the passage. Remus breathlessly spoke a password to a blank wall. The wall moved back and Remus and Sirius walked inside. Sirius pulled the cloak off.

They didn't have to walk long before reaching the cave in. Sirius leaned against a wall as Remus kneeled, tapped the floor, and spoke the words to the spell. He tried not to trip over all the Latin words, but it was a long and difficult spell.

They both watched for something to happen, but there was no sign of whether the spell worked or not. Remus stood.

"Are you done?"

"Um…yeah." They stared at the floor.

"But nothing happened."

Remus looked up. Sirius was so sexy, leaning against the wall. Remus sighed and turned to leave, but Sirius caught his hand.

"It doesn't have to be bought."

Remus' breath caught. He turned to face Sirius.

"It is found at Hogwarts or," he smiled, "in the sky. It's easy to get your hands on. When I say it, it starts with an 'm' but when you say it, it starts with a 'y'."

Remus wouldn't look up. He wouldn't. He…He was looking up. He was looking into Sirius' eyes, getting lost in his eyes, squeezing his hand tighter and tighter. He licked his lips.

"Sirius, I…" he trailed off.

"And, in your case," Sirius interrupted, using his free hand to reach into his pocket, "it comes with chocolate."

Remus' eyes filled with tears when he saw that Sirius was holding up a piece of chocolate. Remus looked down.

"You—you don't mean that. You're still drunk. In the morning, you won't even remember being here."

"No," Sirius whispered. "I'm not drunk. And don't even try to convince yourself that I don't mean this."

He moved closer, dropping the chocolate and bringing a hand to Remus' face again. Remus leaned into Sirius' caressing hand, closing his eyes and emitting a soft sigh.

Sirius finally closed the distance between them. They kissed, not hesitantly at all, but like it was all they'd ever known. Remus wrapped his arms around Sirius' neck, pulling their bodies together.

_This, _he thought, _is how I want to spend my next year._

* * *

Bellatrix Black woke early, as was custom for any self-respecting pureblood. She opened her eyes sleepily and spotted something hanging above her head. Her eyes widened, then closed tightly as a blob of brown-green slime fell on her face.

She shrieked and flailed her arms and legs, only to find her whole bed full f the disgusting goo. She bolted to the bathroom, shrilly screaming again when she saw her reflection. She jumped in the shower, but instead of water, more muck came out.

She screamed loudly, and the Marauders, passing the dungeon entrance, smiled a bit, though none as widely as Remus or Sirius.

* * *

A/n: Hope you enjoyed! Please review! 


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